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Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 6, 2011 – From Quito to our Hacienda: Part I

Here is Leila calling from Quito. It is now almost 6pm and its hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago, our team has not yet arrived. We have done so much today…

Our team consists of Bill, a veteran of several Berg Adventures expeditions, and his friends Yuki, Ana and Andrew. They all arrived last night from LA where they all live and work at SpaceX.

After a resting night at our hotel in Quito, the JW Marriott, we all met this morning for breakfast and did a briefing of what is coming ahead. I was hard to go over everything because this trip has so much going on; there is exploring the culture, lots of climbing and even a quick visit to the jungle!

Well, today was our first day and Joaquin, our Ecuadorian guide, did a great job telling us about his country, from geography to history and culture. No question was left unanswered.

We first visited a local market in Quito where we could see and learn about a variety of different local fruits and vegetables. We are talking about a real organic market – everything fresh and delicious.

Joaquin bought some local fresh fruits and had the team try them once we got back on the bus. Although the fruit looks like the interior of passion fruit, according to Bill, it tastes like kiwi.

We then drove to Otavalo where we had lunch and visited its famous market, one of the largest in South America. Today was the day for shopping for souvenirs, although we would have some occasional opportunities to buy some gifts later, we won’t find a selection like here.

Starting tomorrow, hiking and climbing is in our itinerary almost non-stop. After Otavalo, we drove to our hacienda; Hacienda Cusin, one of the most charming and beautiful haciendas in Ecuador. It is worth coming to Ecuador just to stay here. Every room is decorated differently and with style. This is going to be our home for the next 4 days. Between hiking, climbing and returning to our hacienda for a nice warm dinner and a bedroom with a wood fireplace, life just can’t get any better.

The team has arrived on schedule - Yuki, Bill, Andrew and Ana

Ana enjoying the local market

Left: Flowers; Right: Real organic fruits

Fresh crabs, literally alive and kicking

Ecuador has more than 32 types of potatoes

Joaquin, our super guide, always making sure we try all types of local fruits